Protective side panel installation for rail cars

ABSTRACT

A railroad flat car having siding in the form of panels or sheets at least partially closing the sides of the car. Upright spacer bars are mounted on the flat car, and clamps fastened to the spacer bars secure the panels thereto.

United States atent n 1 Peisner et a1.

[541 PROTECTIVE SIDE PANEL INSTALLATION FOR RAIL CARS Inventors: lsrael D. Peisner, Huntington Woods; Louis K. Deshetler, Allen Park; Paul C. Augustine, Taylor, all of Mich.

Whitehead & Kales Company, River Rouge, Mich.

Filed: Oct. 15, 1970 Appl. No.: 81,023

Assignee:

36 j J2 z 36 V 30 22 x,

[ 1 Jan. 9, 1973 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,173,382 3/1965' Ryan ..l05/368 R 354,037 12/1886 Brown ..l05/338 2,150,130 3/1939 Ragsdale et a1. ..105/409 Primary Examiner-Drayton E. Hoffman AttorneyWhittemore, l-lulbert & Belknap [57] ABSTRACT A railroad flat car having siding in the form of panels or sheets at least partially closing the sides of the car.

Upright spacer bars are mounted on the flat car, and

clamps fastened to the spacer bars secure the panels thereto.

13 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PROTECTIVE SIDE PANEL INSTALLATION FOR RAIL CARS SUMMARY OF'THE INVENTION One object of this invention is to provide a side panel installation for transport vehicles, such as rail cars adapted to carry automobiles, to protect the automobiles from damage due to flying objects and pilfering.

Another object is to provide a panel installation to at least partially close the sides of a transport vehicle, comprising panels or sheets, spacer bars mounted on the vehicle, and clamps fastened to the spacer bars and securing the panels to the spacer bars. I

Another object is to provide a panel installation for a transport vehicle in which the spacer bars and clamps are elongated vertical members between which the panels or sheets are clamped.

Another object is to provide a panel installation in which the clamps are resilient members which are distorted or bent from their natural or free state condition and held in stress by fasteners to secure the panels or sheets to the spacer bars.

Another object is to provide the clamps with cushioning material to contact with the panels or sheets and serve as a vibration dampener.

Another object is to provide means for mounting the panels or sheets on the transport vehicle so as to minimize fracture or fatigue of the panelmaterial.

Another object is to provide a panel installation in which the panels or sheets are not directly bolted to the transport vehicle so that the panels are not subjected to fatigue by the bolts.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a semi-diagrammatic side elevational view of a rail car embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlargement of the upper left portion of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 44 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a detail view of a clamp in its natural or free state condition.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the rail car as seen in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation taken on the line 77 in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is similar to FIG. 4 but shows a modification.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view ofa portion of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 10-10 in FIG. 9.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the transport vehicle is shown as a railroad flat car 10 supported on the usual wheels 11 and having an elongated generally horizontal lower deck or bed structure 12 extending lengthwise of the car. Side frame structure for the car consists of a plurality of straight vertical uprights or posts 18 which rise from the lower deck or bed structure 12 in two rows extending lengthwise of the railroad flat car along opposite sides thereof. These posts 18 are spaced apart lengthwise of the rail car and in the present instance are shown as being of l-section.

The flat car 10 also has an elongated generally horizontal middle deck 20 extending lengthwise of the car which is spaced above the lower deck or-bed structure 12 a distance preferably slightly greater than the maximum height of the vehicles to be transported, and an elongated generally horizontal upper deck 22 extending lengthwise of the car which is spaced above the middle deck 20 likewise a distance slightly greater than the maximum height of the vehicles to be transported. The middle deck 20 and upper deck 22 may be arched or crowned transversely slightly as shown in FIG. 2 to provide greater clearance for the vehicles carried on the decks below. The posts 18 extend from the lower deck or bed structure 12 vertically upward and terminate at approximately the level of the upper deck 22, and the opposite longitudinal edge portions of the middle and upper decks 20 and 22 may be rigidly secured to the posts.

The railroad flat car 10 is adapted to carry vehicles V arranged end to end on each of the decks 12, 20 and 22. These vehicles are frequently damaged in transit by rocks or stones picked up during travel. They are also subject to a high rate of vandalism and pilfering when the rail cars are not moving. This is because the sides of the standard rail car between the posts 18 is substantially open and unobstructed. In order to protect the vehicles being transported, we have provided a side panel installation 30 for each side of the rail car which at least partially closes the open frame structure provided by the posts. Such side panel installations 30 protect the vehicles from flying objects and prevent persons from entering the car through the sides.

Each side panel installation includes elongated horizontal panels or sheets 32, spacer bars 34 and clamps 36. The panels 32 of each panel installation are horizontal and extend longitudinally of the car and are disposed in three vertically spaced rows A, B and C. The panel 32 in the row A is spaced above and protects the vehicles supported on deck 12', the panel 32 in row B is spaced above and protects the vehicles supported upon the middle deck 20, and the panel 32 in the row C is spaced above and protects the vehicles on the deck 22.

The panel 32 in each row is composed of elongated, horizontal panel sections 40 which, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7, are arranged in confronting end-to-end relation. The numeral 41in FIG. 1 indicates the ends of panel sections 40. Eachpanel section 40 may be corrugated in vertical section as clearly seen in FIGS. 2', 3 and 6 to provide horizontal flutes 39'extending the'full length thereof.

The spacer bars 34 are preferably elongated, substantially straight, vertical members extending from a point somewhat above the lower deck 12 to a point spaced a substantial distance above the upper deck 22. The spacer bars 34 are set out from the posts 18 sufficiently to allow the vehicle doors to be opened. Spacers 43 support and brace the spacer bars'34 and may be welded or otherwise secured both to the posts 18 and to the spacer bars. Additional braces 42 which may be welded or otherwise secured to the posts 18 and to the spacer bars 34, brace the upper end portions of the spacer'bars. These braces 42 are shown as elongated generally vertical members extending upward from the upper end portions of the posts.

The spacer bars 34 have generally V-shaped offsets 47 intermediate their ends contoured to match the configuration of the flutes 39 of the panel sections 40.

Spacers 48 are welded or otherwise secured to certain of the spacer bars 34 and extend between the confronting ends of adjacent panel sections 40 at the joints between panel sections to prevent longitudinal shifting.

The clamps 36 are preferably elongated, resilient, vertical members which in their natural or free state condition are curved or bowed slightly as shown in FIG. 5. The clamps 36 clamp the panel sections 40 under pressure to the outer surfaces of the spacer bars 34 as shown in FIG. 2. A layer 49 of cushioning material is secured to one side of each clamp 36 by any suitable means such as a rubber cement. The cushioning material may for example be a closed cell,soft neoprene rubber. It is corrugated the same as the panel sections 40 so that its corrugations will match and nest with the corrugations of panels 40 as more fully described hereinafter.

The upper and lower ends of the clamps 36 are secured to the spacer bars 34 by the nut and bolt assemblies 50. As seen in FIG. 3, each nut and bolt assembly 50 includes a headed bolt 52 extending through matching openings in a clamp 36 and a spacer bar 34, a nut 54 threaded on the bolt 52, and a spacer tube 56 sleeved on the bolt 52 between the clamp and the spacer bar.

When the nut and bolt assemblies 50 are tightened to the limit permitted by the spacer tubes 56, the clamps 36 are bent or distorted from their natural bowed condition and are held stressed in the substantially straight condition shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. When clamped between the spacer bars 34 and the clamps 36, the offsets 47 in the spacer bars nest in registering flutes 39 of the panel sections 40 to prevent the panel sections from shifting vertically. Offsets 47 also take the load of clamps 36, preventing the corrugated panel configuration from collapsing.

The clamps 36 and panel sections 40 are usually made of metal, and it is desirable to prevent metal-tometal contact in order to minimize vibration. Such metal-to-metal contact is prevented by the cushioning material 49 on the clamps 36 which engages the panel sections 40. The contour of the cushioning material matches that of the panel sections 40 and the corrugations of the two nest with one another in full surface-tosurface contact, thereby dampening vibrations.

As seen in FIG. 4, the spacer bars at the joints where the panel sections 40 confront one another end to end are wide so that the end of each panel section may be clamped to the spacer bar by a separate clamp 36 and associated nut and bolt assemblies 50. The other spacer bars may be narrower as indicated in FIG. 7.

An end frame structure 60 is provided at each end of each panel 32 in order to assist the spacers 48 in preventing the panel from shifting longitudinally. Each end frame structure 60 includes the upper and lower horizontal bars 62 which are secured at one end to the end spacer bars 34 by the same nut and bolt assemblies 50 which secure the clamps 36 thereto. A vertical L- shaped member 64 extends between the opposite ends of the bars 62, having a longitudinally extending flange 66 along the inner surface of the panel 32 and a transversely extending flange 68 along the end of the panel 32. A vertical clamp 36 covered with cushioning material 49 which nests with the corrugated panel sec-. tion extends over the outer surface of the panel 32 at the end thereof. The bars 62, L-shaped member 64 and clamp 36 are secured together by the nut and bolt assemblies 50. The transverse flange 68 "of the angle member 64 at each end of each panel 32 prevents longitudinal shiftin g of the panel.

It will be understood that the panel sections 40 are not directly bolted to the rail car. Instead, they are secured by clamps and the clamps are bolted. Hence, the panel sections are not subject to fracture or fatigue due to the bolts.

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate a modification which differs from FIG. 4 in that the panel sections 40 overlap at the splice points. The corrugations of the panel sections nest at the overlap. The overlapped ends are clamped to a spacer bar 34 at the splice point by one clamp 36 as shown in FIG. 8, the clamp 36 being secured to the spacer bar 34 by nut and bolt assemblies 50 in the manner already described. The corrugations of the layer of cushioning material 49 on the clamp 36 nest with the corrugations of the panel section 40 at the overlap.

In order to prevent longitudinal shift of the overlapped panel sections 40, S-shaped clips 70 are pro-' vided. Any number, for example two or three, clips 70 may be used at each splice point. The width of the clips may approximate the width of the base ofa corrugation or flute 39 of the corrugated panel section 40. The clips 70 may be made from flexible sheet metal and at the time of assembly of the side panel installation may be placed between and folded over the overlapped ends of the panel sections 40 at the bases of the corrugations or flutes 39 thereof as shown. The clips 70 are frictionally held in place by the clamping pressure of the spacer bars 34 and clamps 36 thereon. This clamping pressure is applied by the clips to the overlapping ends of the panel sections so that the clips grip them in full surfaceto-surface contact to frictionally retain the panel sections from shifting longitudinally.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a transport vehicle having a longitudinally extending deck and open side frame structure on opposite sides of said deck, the improvement comprising panels extending lengthwise of said vehicle above the deck thereof to at least partially enclose the side frame structure, and means for securing said panels to the side frame structure comprising elongated spacer bars mounted on the side frame structure and supporting the inner sides of said panels, elongated clamps applied 7 over the outer sides of said panels and clamping said panels to said spacer bars, fastener means securing'said clamps to said spacer bars, said spacer bars extending generally vertically and being spaced outwardly from the side frame structure, and spacers between the side frame structure and said spacer bars to brace the latter.

2. In a transport vehicle having a longitudinally extending deck and open side frame structure on opposite sides of said deck, the improvement comprising panels extending lengthwise of said vehicle above the deck thereof to at least partially enclose the side frame structure, and means for securing said panels to the side frame structure comprising elongated spacer bars mounted on the side frame structure and supporting the inner sides of said panels, elongated clamps applied over the outer sides of said panels and clamping said panels to said spacer bars, and fastener means securing said clamps to said spacer bars, said spacer bars extending generally vertically, said panels having generally horizontal corrugations, and said spacer bars having corrugations nested in the corrugations of said panels to retain said panels against vertical shifting.

3. In a transport vehicle having -a longitudinally extending deck and open side frame structure on opposite sides of said deck, the improvement comprising panels extending lengthwise of said vehicle above the deck thereof to at least partially enclose the side frame structure, and means for securing said panels to the side frame structure comprising elongated spacer bars mounted on the side frame structure and supporting the inner sides of said panels, elongated clamps applied over the outer sides of said panels and clamping said panels to said spacer bars, and fastener means securing said clamps to said spacer bars, said spacer bars and said clamps extending generally vertically, said clamps being resilient, said fastener means bending said clamps from their free state condition. and holding them stressed when securing the same to said spacer bars as aforesaid.

4. In a transport vehicle having longitudinally extending deck and open side frame structure on opposite sides of said deck, the improvement comprising panels extending lengthwise of said vehicle above the deck thereof to at least partially enclose the side frame structure, and means for securing said panels to the side frame structure comprising elongated spacer bars mounted on the side frame structure and supporting the inner sides of said panels, elongated clamps applied over the outer sides of said panels and clamping said panels to said spacer bars, and fastener means securing said clamps to said spacer bars, said spacer bars extending generally vertically, each panel having vertically spaced, generally horizontal corrugations, and each spacer bar having a corrugation nested with a panel corrugation to retain said panels against vertical shiftmg.

5. The structure defined in claim 4, wherein said clamps extend generally vertically and are resilient and bowed in their free state condition, said fastener means bending said clamps to a straight, stressed condition when securing them to said spacer bars as aforesaid.

6. The structure defined in claim 4, wherein said panels include separate, horizontally extending sections arranged in substantially end-to-end relation, and means for preventing said panel sections from shifting longitudinally.

7. The structure defined in claim 4, wherein means are provided to prevent said panels from shifting longitudinally.

8. The structure defined in claim 4, wherein frame members mounted on said endmost spacer bars engage the opposite ends of said panels to prevent them from shifting longitudinally.

9. The structure defined in claim 4, wherein the inner surfaces of said clamps are covered with cushioning material in contact with said panels, said cushioning material serving as a vibration dampener.

10. The structure defined in claim 9, wherein said cushioning material is corrugated and the corrugations thereof nest in the corrugations of said panels in full surface-to-surface contact therewith.

11. The structure defined in claim 9, wherein said panels include separate, horizontally extending panel sections arranged in overlapping end-to-end relation, and means including clips frictionally gripping said overlapping ends to prevent adjacent panel sections from shifting longitudinally.

12, The structure defined in claim 11, wherein said clips are S-shaped, extending between and folded over said overlapping ends.

13. The structure defined in claim 12, wherein said clamps extend generally vertically and are resilient and bowed in their free state condition, said fastener means bending said clamps to a straight, stressed condition when securing them to said spacer bars as aforesaid, said cushioning materialbeing corrugated and the corrugations thereof nesting in the corrugations of said panels in full surface-to-surface contact therewith. 

1. In a transport vehicle having a longitudinally extending deck and open side frame structure on opposite sides of said deck, the improvement comprising panels extending lengthwise of said vehicle above the deck thereof to at least partially enclose the side frame structure, and means for securing said panels to the side frame structure comprising elongated spacer bars mounted on the side frame structure and supporting the inner sides of said panels, elongated clamps applied over the outer sides of said panels and clamping said panels to said spacer bars, fastener means securing said clamps to said spacer bars, said spacer bars extending generally vertically and being spaced outwardly from the side frame structure, and spacers between the side frame structure and said spacer bars to brace the latter.
 2. In a transport vehicle having a longitudinally extending deck and open side frame structure on opposite sides of said deck, the improvement comprising panels extending lengthwise of said vehicle above the deck thereof to at least partially enclose the side frame structure, and means for securing said panels to the side frame structure comprising elongated spacer bars mounted on the side frame structure and supporting the inner sides of said panels, elongated clamps applied over the outer sides of said panels and clamping said panels to said spacer bars, and fastener means securing said clamps to said spacer bars, said spacer bars extending generally vertically, said panels having generally horizontal corrugations, and said spacer bars having corrugations nested in the corrugations of said panels to retain said panels against vertical shifting.
 3. In a transport vehicle having a longitudinally extending deck and open side frame structure on opposite sides of said deck, the improvement comprising panels extending lengthwise of said vehicle above the deck thereof to at least partially enclose the side frame structure, and means for securing said panels to the side frame structure comprising elongated spacer bars mounted on the side frame structure and supporting the inner sides of said panels, elongated clamps applied over the outer sides of said panels and clamping said panels to said spacer bars, and fastener means securing said clamps to said spacer bars, said spacer bars and said clamps extending generally vertically, said clamps being resilient, said fastener means bending said clamps from their free state condition and holding them stressed when securing the same to said spacer bars as aforesaid.
 4. In a transport vehicle having longitudinally extending deck and open side frame structure on opposite sides of said deck, the improvement comprising panels extending lengthwise of said vehicle above the deck thereof to at least partially enclose the side frame structure, and means for securing said panels to the side frame structure comprising elongated spacer bars mounted on the side frame structure and supporting the inner sides of said panels, elongated clamps applied over the outer sides of said panels and clamping said panels to said spacer bars, and fastener means securing said clamps to said spacer bars, said spacer bars extending generally vertically, each panel having vertically spaced, generally horizontal corrugations, and each spacer bar having a corrugation nested with a panel corrugation to retain said panels against vertical shifting.
 5. The structure defined in claim 4, wherein said clamps extend generally vertically and are resilient and bowed in their free state condition, said fastener means bending said clamps to a straight, stressed condition when securing them to said spacer bars as aforesaid.
 6. The structure defined in claim 4, wherein said panels include separate, horizontally extending sections arranged in substantially end-to-end relation, and means for preventing said panel sections from shifting longitudinally.
 7. The structure defined in claim 4, wherein means are provided to prevent said panels from shifting longitudinally.
 8. The structure defined in claim 4, wherein frame members mounted on said endmost spacer bars engage the opposite ends of said panels to prevent them from shifting longitudinally.
 9. The structure defined in claim 4, wherein the inner surfaces of said clamps are covered with cushioning material in contact with said panels, said cushioning material serving as a vibration dampener.
 10. The structure defined in claim 9, wherein said cushioning material is corrugated and the corrugations thereof nest in the corrugations of said panels in full surface-to-surface contact therewith.
 11. The structure defined in claim 9, wherein said panels include separate, horizontally extending panel sections arranged in overlapping end-to-end relation, and means including clips frictionally gripping said overlapping ends to prevent adjacent panel sections from shifting longitudinally.
 12. The structure defined in claim 11, wherein said clips are S-shaped, extending between and folded over said overlapping ends.
 13. The structure defined in claim 12, wherein said clamps extend generally vertically and are resilient and bowed in their free state condition, said fastener means bending said clamps to a straight, stressed condition when securing them to said spacer bars as aforesaid, said cushioning material being corrugated and the corrugations thereof nesting in the corrugations of said panels in full surface-to-surface contact therewith. 